Sutherland (UK Parliament constituency)

Sutherland was a Scottish constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918.

Sutherland
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandSutherland
1708–1918
SeatsOne
Created fromSutherland
Replaced byCaithness & Sutherland

Creation

The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union, 1707 and replaced the former Parliament of Scotland shire constituency of Sutherlandshire.

Boundaries

The constituency represented essentially the traditional county of Sutherland. The county town of Dornoch, however, was represented as a component of the Tain Burghs constituency, from 1708 to 1832, and of the Wick Burghs constituency, from 1832 to 1918.

History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished in 1918.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] In 1918 the Sutherland constituency and Dornoch were merged into the then new constituency of Caithness and Sutherland. In 1997 Caithness and Sutherland was merged into Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember [6] Party
1708 Sir William Gordon
1713 William Morison
1714 Sir William Gordon
1727 Lord Strathnaver
1734 Sir James Fergusson
1736 Hon. James St Clair
1747 Hon. George Mackay
1761 Hon. Alexander Mackay
1768 James Wemyss
1784 William Wemyss Pittite
1787 James Grant
1802 William Dundas Tory
1808 John Randoll Mackenzie
1809 George Macpherson-Grant
1812 James Macdonald Whig
1816 George Macpherson-Grant
1826 Lord Francis Leveson-Gower Tory[7][8]
1831 Sir Hugh Innes Whig[9]
1831 by-election Roderick Macleod Whig[7][10]
1837 Hon. William Howard Conservative[7][10]
1840 by-election Sir David Dundas Whig[7][10][11][12]
1852 Marquess of Stafford Whig[10]
1859 Liberal[10]
1861 by-election Sir David Dundas Liberal[10]
1867 by-election Lord Ronald Gower Liberal[10]
1874 Marquess of Stafford Liberal[10]
1886 Angus Sutherland Liberal/Crofter
1894 by-election John MacLeod Liberal/Crofter
1900 Frederick Leveson-Gower Liberal Unionist
1906 Alpheus Morton Liberal
1918 constituency abolished

Elections
Decades:

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1830: Sutherland [7][13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Francis Leveson-Gower Unopposed
Registered electors 20
Tory hold
General election 1831: Sutherland [7][13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Hugh Innes Unopposed
Registered electors 20
Whig gain from Tory

Innes' death caused a by-election.

By-election, 14 September 1831: Sutherland [7][13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Roderick Macleod Unopposed
Registered electors 20
Whig hold
General election 1832: Sutherland [7][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Roderick Macleod Unopposed
Registered electors 84
Whig hold
General election 1835: Sutherland [7][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Roderick Macleod Unopposed
Registered electors 108
Whig hold
General election 1837: Sutherland [7][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative William Howard Unopposed
Registered electors 128
Conservative gain from Whig

Elections in the 1840s

Howard resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 8 April 1840: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig David Dundas Unopposed
Whig gain from Conservative
General election 1841: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig David Dundas Unopposed
Registered electors 137
Whig gain from Conservative

Dundas was appointed Solicitor General for Scotland, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 28 July 1846: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig David Dundas Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1847: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig David Dundas Unopposed
Registered electors 184
Whig hold

Dundas was appointed Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 5 June 1849: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig David Dundas Unopposed
Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1852: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower Unopposed
Registered electors 207
Whig hold
General election 1857: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower Unopposed
Registered electors 264
Whig hold
General election 1859: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower Unopposed
Registered electors 298
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

Sutherland-Leveson-Gower succeeded to the peerage, becoming 3rd Duke of Sutherland, and causing a by-election.

By-election, 27 March 1861: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Dundas Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1865: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Dundas Unopposed
Registered electors 180
Liberal hold

Dundas resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 27 May 1867: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ronald Gower Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1868: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ronald Gower Unopposed
Registered electors 358
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Marquess of Stafford Unopposed
Registered electors 324
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: Sutherland [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Marquess of Stafford Unopposed
Registered electors 326
Liberal hold
General election 1885: Sutherland [14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Marquess of Stafford 1,701 61.7 N/A
Independent Liberal (Crofters) Angus Sutherland 1,058 38.3 New
Majority 643 23.4 N/A
Turnout 2,759 86.6 N/A
Registered electors 3,185
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1886: Sutherland [14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal (Crofters) Angus Sutherland 1,463 71.5 +9.8
Liberal Unionist Ralph Wardlaw McLeod Fullarton 583 28.5 New
Majority 880 43.0 +19.6
Turnout 2,046 64.2 −22.4
Registered electors 3,185
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Sutherland [16][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal (Crofters) Angus Sutherland 1,453 70.5 -1.0
Liberal Unionist John MacKay 607 29.5 +1.0
Majority 846 41.0 -2.0
Turnout 2,060 75.0 +10.8
Registered electors 2,745
Liberal hold Swing -1.0

Sutherland was appointed Chairman of the Fishery Board for Scotland, causing a by-election.

By-election, 26 Oct 1894: Sutherland[17][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal (Crofters) John MacLeod Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1895: Sutherland [17][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John MacLeod 1,085 64.8 −5.7
Liberal Unionist John Alexander Swanston 590 35.2 +5.7
Majority 495 29.6 −11.4
Turnout 1,675 67.2 −7.8
Registered electors 2,493
Liberal hold Swing −5.7

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Sutherland [17][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Frederick Leveson-Gower 1,224 61.9 +26.7
Liberal John MacLeod 752 38.1 -26.7
Majority 472 23.8 N/A
Turnout 1,977 76.3 +9.1
Registered electors 2,589
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +26.7
General election 1906: Sutherland [18][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Alpheus Morton 1,383 59.7 +21.6
Liberal Unionist Frederick Leveson-Gower 933 40.3 -21.6
Majority 450 19.4 N/A
Turnout 2,316 82.3 +6.0
Registered electors 2,814
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing +21.6

Elections in the 1910s
Morton
General election January 1910: Sutherland [19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Alpheus Morton 1,607 62.8 +3.1
Conservative Donald Cameron 951 37.2 -3.1
Majority 656 25.6 +6.2
Turnout 2,558 83.7 +1.4
Registered electors 3,055
Liberal hold Swing +3.1
Stafford
General election December 1910: Sutherland [19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Alpheus Morton 1,464 53.4 -9.4
Liberal Unionist Marquess of Stafford 1,277 46.6 +9.4
Majority 187 6.8 -18.8
Turnout 2,741
Liberal hold Swing -9.4

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

References
  1. "Sutherland". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  2. "Sutherland". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  3. "Sutherland". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  4. "Sutherland". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  5. "Sutherland". History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  6. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 6)
  7. Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 212. Retrieved 14 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  8. Jenkins, Terry. "LEVESON GOWER, Lord Francis (1800-1857), of 12 Albemarle Street, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  9. Jenkins, Terry. "INNES, Sir Hugh, 1st bt. (?1764-1831), of Balmacara House, Lochalsh, Ross and Regent Street, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  10. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  11. "Sutherlandshire Election". Leicestershire Mercury. 11 April 1840. p. 4. Retrieved 14 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "Oxford University and City Herald". 18 April 1840. p. 3. Retrieved 14 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. Jenkins, Terry. "Sutherland". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  14. Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1889
  15. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  16. Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
  17. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
  18. Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
  19. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
  20. Aberdeen Journal 13 Apr 1914


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